Low leakage and data retention circuitry

ABSTRACT

An integrated circuit includes first circuitry and sleep transistor circuitry. The first circuitry receives input signals and processes the input signals. The first circuitry also retains data in a sleep state that has low leakage. The sleep transistor circuitry is coupled to the first circuitry and receives a sleep signal that has a negative voltage. The sleep circuitry reduces power consumption of the first circuitry in the sleep state to have low leakage based on the sleep signal while retaining the data in the first circuitry.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/998,725, filed Nov. 30, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/732,181, filed Apr. 2, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,804), which is a divisional and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/041,687 filed Jan. 20, 2005 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,227,383) and entitled “Low Leakage and Data Retention Circuitry,” which claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/546,574 filed Feb. 19, 2004 and entitled “Power Management and Power Savings in Integrated Circuits” as well as the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/586,565 filed Jul. 9, 2004 and entitled “Systems and Methods for I/O Power Island Management and Leakage Control on Integrated Circuits.

The entire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits, and more particularly to low leakage and data retention circuitry.

2. Description of the Related Art

Most integrated circuits have a design goal to reduce the overall power consumption. The total power consumed by an integrated circuit includes dynamic power consumption and standby leakage current consumption. The challenge in designing an integrated circuit is to reduce the dynamic power and leakage power, while maintaining performance and cost goals for the integrated circuit.

In complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), various types of leakage occur such as pn junction reverse-bias current, subthreshold leakage, oxide tunneling current, gate current due to hot-carrier injection, gate-induced drain leakage, and channel punch through current. When the threshold voltage for a CMOS transistor is reduced for higher performance, the leakage power is significant in the total power consumption of the CMOS circuit.

There are two approaches in reducing the leakage power for CMOS circuits. The first approach is a process level technique that controls the doping profile of the transistor. The other approach is a circuit level technique where voltages at the different device terminals such as the drain, source, gate, and body are controlled. Some circuit level techniques are discussed below.

One circuit level technique is stacking transistors, which is also called self-reverse bias. When more than one transistor in a stack of series-connected transistors is turned off, the subthreshold leakage current is reduced. One problem with the transistor stack is that only a three times reduction in leakage current is achieved. Another circuit level technique is a multiple threshold voltage design. Both high- and low-threshold transistors are on the same chip to deal with the leakage problem. The high-threshold transistors suppress the sub-threshold leakage current. The low-threshold transistors are used to achieve higher performance. One problem with a multiple threshold design is that process complexity and costs are increased.

Another circuit level technique is a multiple body bias in which the body voltage is changed to modify the threshold voltage. If separate body biases are applied to different NMOS transistors, the transistor cannot share the same well, which requires triple well technologies. One problem is that well biasing consumes a lot of chip area and requires extra power supplies for each cell. This technique also increases process complexity and the leakage reduction is not optimal.

Another technique for reducing leakage is a sleep transistor. FIG. 1 depicts prior art circuitry including a sleep transistor. For NMOS sleep transistors, one or more NMOS transistors are added to logic gates in series with the cell transistors to VSS. The NMOS sleep transistors act as a switch to turn on and off the logic gate. In FIG. 1, the sleep transistor 130 is turned on (gate to VDD) during normal cell operation. When the cell is idle, the sleep transistor 130 is turned off (gate tied to VSS) to reduce the leakage current of the cell. Sleep transistors can also be PMOS transistors. One problem with sleep transistors is that if all logic has sleep transistors, the logic will lose their state information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an exemplary embodiment of the presently disclosed invention, a data retention circuit is provided. The exemplary circuit includes an input/output pad cell that itself includes level shifter circuitry, the level shifter circuitry having inputs and outputs. Output latching circuitry is also provided as a part of the data retention circuit. The output latching circuitry includes two transistors. The transistors are coupled to the outputs of the level shifter circuitry and retain a state of the level shifter circuitry based on the state of the inputs. A leakage optimization circuit is also included, the leakage optimization circuit is configured to simultaneously decrease leakage power in conjunction with the state retention of the output latching circuitry.

In another embodiment of the presently disclosed invention, a system for controlling power consumption within an integrated circuit is disclosed. The system includes a power island, the power island includes a first circuit. The first circuit of the power island is configured to receive an input signals and a hold signal. The circuit is further configured to process the input signals and retain data in a sleep state having low leakage. The first circuit is further configured to retain the data based on the hold signal. The system further includes a sleep transistor, which is coupled to the first circuit. The sleep transistor is configured to receive a negative voltage sleep signal and reduce power consumption of the first circuit in the sleep state. As a result, the first circuit has low leakage based on the sleep signal while simultaneously retaining the data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of circuitry including a sleep transistor in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an integrated circuit with a power supply in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a power island manager with an isolation gate and a D flip-flop in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a power island manager in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a D/Q portion of flip-flop circuitry in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a CK portion of flip-flop circuitry in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 7A is an illustration of a sleep transistor for an OFF node in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 7B is an illustration of a sleep transistor for an SB node in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 7C is an illustration of a moderate impedance transistor for an SB node in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 8A is an illustration of circuitry for a tristate inverter in the master latch in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 8B is an illustration of circuitry for a tristate inverter in the slave latch in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 9 is an illustration of a HOLDB and SLEEPB signals in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of circuitry for low leakage and data retention in an exemplary implementation of the invention;

FIG. 11 is an illustration of slave latch circuitry in an exemplary implementation of the invention; and

FIG. 12 is an illustration of circuitry for a level shifter for an I/O pad in an exemplary implementation of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A description of example embodiments of the invention follows.

As shown in the exemplary drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding elements among the figures, exemplary embodiments of a system and method according to the present invention are described below in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure, method, process or manner.

Power Island Manager—FIGS. 2-4

In some embodiments, an integrated circuit can be delineated into power islands. Power consumption can then be controlled within the power island. A power island manager provides control signals to the power island to control power consumption of the power island. In some embodiments, the low leakage, data retention circuitry is located within the power islands.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustration of an integrated circuit 200 with a power supply 280 in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The integrated circuit 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 210, a clock manager 212, power island managers 220, 222, and 224, a power supply manager 240, level shifter/isolation gates (LS/ISO) 250, 252, and 254, logic (power island 2) 260, memory (power island 0) 262, third party intellectual property (IP) (power island 1) 264, adaptive leakage controller (ALC) 270, and bus 280.

A power island is any section, delineation, partition, or division of an integrated circuit where power consumption is controlled within the section, delineation, partition, or division. In some embodiments, the power islands are delineated based on geographic factors of the integrated circuit. In some embodiments, the power islands are delineated based on functional IP units of the integrated circuit 200. In this example depicted in FIG. 2, power islands are delineated by memory 262, logic 260, and third party IP 264. Power islands are discussed in further detail in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/840,893 entitled “Managing Power on Integrated Circuits Using Power Islands” filed on May 7, 2004, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The power island managers 220, 222, and 224 are any circuitry, device, or system configured to provide control signals to a power island to control power within the power island. The power island managers 220, 222, and 224 can dynamically change the power consumption of the power islands based on the needs and operation of the integrated circuit 200. The power island managers 220, 222, 224 may select a clock, change clock frequency, or modify the voltage within the power island to control the power consumption of the power island.

The ALC 270 provides control signals to compensate for process and temperature variation to provide the optimum voltage to be applied to sleep transistors in the power islands. The ALC 270 is described in further detail U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/996,739 entitled “Systems and Methods for Minimizing Static Leakage of an Integrated Circuit” filed on Nov. 17, 2004.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustration of the power island manager 220 with an isolation gate 350 and a D flip-flop 360 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The power island manager 220 includes a data retention state machine 330 and a sleep generator 340 that are coupled to each other.

The power island manager 220 is coupled to the isolation gate 350 by the ISO signal. The ISO signal is also coupled to other isolation gates. The data retention state machine 330 is coupled to DRB input of the D flip-flop 360 via the DRB signal. The data retention state machine 330 is also coupled to the AND gate 362 via the ENC signal. The clock island (CKI) signal is coupled to the data retention state machine 330 and the AND gate 362. The sleep generator 340 is coupled to the D flip-flop 360 and the AND gate 362 via the SLPB signal. The output of the AND gate 362 is coupled to the C input of the D flip-flop 360 via the CKA signal. The system reset signal is coupled to the RESETB input of the power island manager 220 and the RB input of the D flip-flop 360. The SLPB signal, the DRB signal, and the system reset signal are coupled to other data retention flip-flops.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustration of a power island manager 220 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The power island manager 220 includes an AND gate 402, a multiplexer (MUX) 404, a D flip-flop 410, an inverter 412, an AND gate 414, a D flip-flop 420, a D flip-flop 430, the data retention state machine 330, a MUX 432, a MUX 442, a sleep generator 340, and a buffer 452.

The DI0 pin is coupled to the D input of the D flip-flop 410. The SI0 pin is coupled to the SI input of the D flip-flop 410. The CSB and the WEB pins are coupled to the inputs of the AND gate 402. The output of the AND gate 402 and the SCK1 pin are coupled to the input of the MUX 404. The output of the MUX 404 is coupled to the C inputs of the D flip-flop 410, the D flip-flop 420, and the D flip-flop 430. The Q output of the D flip-flop 410 is coupled to the DO0 pin, which is coupled to the input of the inverter 412 and the SI input of the D flip-flop 420. The DI1 pin is coupled to the D input of the D flip-flop 420. The Q output of the D flip-flop 420 is coupled to the DO1 pin, which is coupled to the input of the AND gate 414 and the SI input of the D flip-flop 430. The output of the AND gate 414 is coupled to the RSTB pin. The D12 pin is coupled to the D input of the D flip-flop 430. The Q output of the D flip-flop 430 is coupled to the DO2 pin, which is coupled to the DLY1/ISO pin. The DLY1/ISO pin is coupled to the SO1, the input of the MUX 432, and the data retention state machine 340.

The RESETB pin is coupled to the R input of the D flip-flop 430, the D flip-flop 420, and the D flip-flop 410. The SE pin, the RESETB pin, the CKI pin, and the S12 pin are coupled to the data retention state machine 330. The data retention state machine 330 is coupled to the input of the MUX 432, the SO2 pin, the DRB pin, the ENC pin, and the input of the MUX 442. The output of the MUX 442, the VDDI pin, and the VL[0:2] are coupled to the sleep generator 340. The sleep generator 340 is coupled to the SLPB pin. The sleep generator 340 is coupled to the data retention state machine 330 via the AW pin and the input of the buffer 452. The output of the buffer 452 is coupled to the D03 pin. The DRMODE pin is coupled to the MUX 442.

In operation, the power island manager 220 has a three bit register for controlling a power island for some embodiments. D [0], with input DI0 and output DO0, is an island reset for re-initializing a power island. This bit is combined with RESETB to form RSTB to re-initialize the power island whenever RESETB or the D [0] is active. D [1], with input DI1 and output DO1, is a sleep bit. When the D [1] bit is set to one, the power island goes into a low leakage state. D [2], with input DI2 and output DO2, is a DLY1/Isolate bit. When DRMODE is tied to low, the D [2] bit, when set to one, will add one clock cycle delay between DRB going active and SLPB going active. When DRMODE is tied high, the D [2] bit, when set to one, will activate isolation of the power island. D [3], such as DO3, is an awake bit. This D [3] bit goes high when SLPB is high. This can be used by software to determine when a power island is out of the sleep state.

The power island manager 220 has two operating modes: one that supports power islands with data retention flip-flops and one that does not. When the DRMODE pin is tied high, a power island is put to sleep by writing a one to D[1]. The data retention state machine 330 performs the timing. The isolate (ISO) signal goes active when the sleep bit is written to a one, and the enable clock (ENC) and the data retention (DRB) will go low after synchronization to the power island clock (CKI). One or two clock cycles later the sleep (SLPB) goes low. To come out of sleep mode, a zero is written to D[1]. In some embodiments, all clock buffers in the power islands can be put to sleep to further minimize leakage. Software can determine when the power island has come out of sleep by reading when D03 is high.

The System Reset is typically applied once after initial system power up. In some embodiments, the System Reset goes to all data retention flip-flops. The System Reset signal and DI0 bar are combined in a logical AND (RSTB output) to provide initialization to non data retention flip-flops. To create a power island reset, D[0] is set to a one and then cleared to a zero by software.

When the DRMODE is tied low, the power island manager 220 can also provide the control signals for a power island without data retention flip-flops. The power island manager 220 may have a hardware driven method and a software driven method for interfacing to power islands without data retention flip-flops. The software sequence has the following sequence:

Write 04/turn on isolation Write 06/turn on sleep, isolation on/come out of sleep Write 05/turn sleep off, reset island, isolation on/wait for sleep to go high Read/test for DO3=1; sleep is high Write 00/turn isolation off, normal operation

The hardware driven method uses a clock to sequence the state machine. The only action software takes is to write the sleep bit (DI1) to a one to go into sleep and write a zero to the sleep bit to go out of sleep. Software can determine when the island has come out of sleep by reading when DO3 is high.

In some embodiments, the power island manager 220 contains two scan chains because some of the flip-flops are clocked on the positive and some on the negative. The scan chain enable pin switches the clock on scan chain 1 (S11 is the input; SO1 is the output), the registers, to CKS1. Scan chain 2 (SI2 is the input; SO2 is the output) is connected to the data retention state machine 330 flip-flops that are clocked on the negative edge of CKI. A separate scan out is provided for each clock domain.

In some embodiments, the SLPB net uses p-type antenna diodes. Since the SLPB net may go to a negative voltage, an n-type antenna diode can cause excessive leakage to ground. The leakage can cause SLPB not to go negative and may not work properly. The CSB pin is a chip select pin. The WEB pin is the write enable pin. The VL [2:0] is the leakage control voltage value set by the ALC 270 (FIG. 2). The VDDI is the VDD from the power island.

Low Leakage, Data Retention Circuitry—FIGS. 5, 6, 7A-C, 8A-8B, and 9-12

FIGS. 5, 6, 7A-C, and 8A-8B disclose one embodiment for low leakage, data retention circuitry. In this embodiment, in sleep mode, the circuit parts of a flip-flop that do not require data retention are coupled to ground through a sleep transistor. The gate of the sleep transistor is coupled to a sleep signal that can be driven to a negative voltage such as −0.3V. Thus, the leakage in these circuit parts of the flip-flop is eliminated (reduced). When not in a sleep state, the sleep transistor has a gate value equal to or greater than the VDD supply, which effectively grounds the circuit.

The circuit parts that require data retention are coupled to ground through two transistors. One transistor acts effectively to ground the circuit above when not in sleep mode just as the sleep transistor described above. The other transistor is a PMOS device with the gate tied to ground, which provides medium impedance to ground. The voltage drop across this transistor acts to reduce the leakage by increasing the source bias of the NMOS transistors and simultaneously reduces the voltage across the circuit. In this embodiment, the data is retained in a sleep state and reduces the leakage by a factor of 22.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustration of a D/Q portion 500 of the flip-flop circuitry in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The D/Q portion 500 of the flip-flop circuitry includes an inverter 502, a M3 PMOS transistor 504, an M4 NMOS transistor 506, master latch circuitry 510, an M11 PMOS transistor 522, an M12 NMOS transistor 524, an M13 NMOS transistor 526, slave latch circuitry 530, and an inverter 540.

The D signal input is the input of the inverter 502, which includes transistors M1 and M2. The source of the inverter 502 is coupled to the node OFF, which is described below in FIG. 7A. The output of the inverter 502 is coupled to the M3 PMOS transistor 504 and the M4 NMOS transistor 506. The gate of the M3 PMOS transistor 504 is coupled to the CLK signal input. The gate of the M4 NMOS transistor 506 is coupled to the CLKB signal input.

The master latch circuitry 510 includes the inverter 512 and the inverter 514. The inverter 514 forms a feedback loop with the inverter 512, where the output of the inverter 512 is coupled to the input of the inverter 514 and the output of the inverter 514 is coupled to the input of the inverter 512. The inverter 512 corresponds to transistor M5 and M6. The inverter 514 corresponds to transistors M7-M10. The input of the inverter 512 is coupled to node A, which is described in FIG. 8A below. The source of the inverter 512 is also coupled to node OFF, which is described below in FIG. 7A. The output of the inverter 512 is coupled to node B, which is described below in FIG. 8A. The source of the inverter 514 is coupled to node OFF, which is described below in FIG. 7A. The PMOS gate of the inverter 514 is coupled to the CLKB signal input. The NMOS gate of the inverter 514 is coupled to the CLK signal input.

The M11 PMOS transistor 522 is in parallel to the M112 NMOS transistor 524 and the M13 NMOS transistor 526, which are in series. The gate of the M11 PMOS transistor 522 is coupled to the CLKB signal input. The gate of the M12 NMOS transistor 524 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input. The gate of the M13 NMOS transistor 526 is coupled to the CLK signal input.

The slave latch circuitry 530 includes the inverter 532 and the inverter 534. The inverter 534 forms a feedback loop with the inverter 532, where the output of the inverter 532 is coupled to the input of the inverter 534 and the output of the inverter 534 is coupled to the input of the inverter 532. The inverter 532 corresponds to transistor M14 and M15. The inverter 534 corresponds to transistors M18-21 and M31. The input of the inverter 532 is coupled to node C, which is described in FIG. 8B below. The source of the inverter 532 is also coupled to node SB, which is described below in FIGS. 7B-C. The output of the inverter 532 is coupled to node D, which is described below in FIG. 8B. The source of the inverter 534 is coupled to node SB, which is described below in FIGS. 7B-C. The PMOS gates of the inverter 534 are coupled to the HOLDB and CLK signal inputs. The NMOS gate of the inverter 534 is coupled to the CLKB signal input.

The output of the inverter 532 is coupled to the input of the inverter 540. The inverter 540 corresponds to transistors M16 and M17. The source of the inverter 540 is also coupled to node OFF, which is described below in FIG. 7A. The output of the inverter 540 is the Q signal output.

FIG. 6 depicts a CK portion 600 of the flip-flop circuitry in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The CK portion 600 of the flip-flop circuitry includes an inverter 602, an M24 PMOS transistor 604, an M25 PMOS transistor 606, an M26 NMOS transistor 608, an M32 NMOS transistor 610, and an M27 PMOS transistor 612.

The CK signal input is the input of the inverter 602, which includes transistors M22 and M23. The source of the inverter 602 is coupled to node OFF, which is described below in FIG. 7A. The output of the inverter 602 is coupled to the drain of the M24 PMOS transistor 604 and the node CLKB. The gate of the M24 PMOS transistor 604 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input. The output of the inverter 602 is also coupled to the M25 PMOS transistor 606 and the M26 NMOS transistor 608. The M25 PMOS transistor 606, the M26 NMOS transistor 608, and the M32 NMOS transistor 610 are coupled in series. The gate of the M32 NMOS transistor 610 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input.

The CLK signal output is coupled to the drain of the M25 PMOS transistor 606, the drain of the M26 NMOS transistor 608, and the drain of the M27 PMOS transistor 612. The gate of the M27 PMOS transistor 612 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input.

FIG. 7A depicts a sleep transistor 702 for the OFF node in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The sleep transistor 702 is an NMOS transistor that corresponds to transistor M28. The drain of the sleep transistor 702 is coupled to the OFF node. The gate of the sleep transistor 702 is coupled to the SLEEPB signal input. The source of the sleep transistor 702 is coupled to ground. In some embodiments, the OFF node can be separated into two or more nodes each having its own NMOS sleep transistor.

FIG. 7B depicts a sleep transistor 704 for the SB node in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The sleep transistor 704 is an NMOS transistor that corresponds to transistor M29. The drain of the sleep transistor 704 is coupled to the SB node. The gate of the sleep transistor 704 is coupled to the SLEEPB signal input. The source of the sleep transistor 704 is coupled to ground.

FIG. 7C depicts a sleep transistor 706 for the SB node in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The sleep transistor 706 is a PMOS transistor that corresponds to transistor M30. The source of the sleep transistor 706 is coupled to the SB node. The gate and drain of the sleep transistor 706 are coupled to ground.

FIG. 8A depicts circuitry 800 for the tristate inverter in the master latch in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The circuitry 800 for the master latch includes a PMOS transistor 802, a PMOS transistor 804, an NMOS transistor 806, and an NMOS transistor 808 that are coupled together in series. The gates of the PMOS transistor 802 and the NMOS transistor 808 are coupled to the node B. The gate of the PMOS transistor 804 is coupled to the CLKB signal input. The gate of the NMOS transistor 806 is coupled to the CLK signal input. The drains of the PMOS transistor 804 and the NMOS transistor 806 are coupled to node A. The source of the NMOS transistor 808 is coupled to node OFF.

FIG. 8B depicts circuitry 810 for the tristate inverter in the slave latch in an exemplary implementation of the invention. The circuitry 810 for the slave latch includes a PMOS transistor 812, a PMOS transistor 814, a PMOS transistor 816, an NMOS transistor 818, and an NMOS transistor 820. The PMOS transistor 812 is coupled to the PMOS transistor 814 and the PMOS transistor 816 that are parallel to each other. The PMOS transistor 814 and the PMOS transistor 816 are coupled to the NMOS transistor 818, which is also coupled to the NMOS transistor 820.

The gates of the PMOS transistor 812 and the NMOS transistor 820 are coupled to the node D. The gate of the PMOS transistor 814 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input. The gate of the PMOS transistor 816 is coupled to the CLK signal input. The gate of the NMOS transistor 818 is coupled to the CLKB signal input. The drains of the PMOS transistor 814, the PMOS transistor 816, and the NMOS transistor 806 are coupled to node C. The source of the NMOS transistor 820 is coupled to node SB.

FIG. 9 depicts an illustration of the HOLDB and SLEEPB signals in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

The operation begins with CK going to zero. This causes CLKB to be equal to VDD and CLK to be equal to zero, which isolates the slave latch circuitry 530 from the master latch circuitry 510. The HOLDB signal goes to 0 to retain the state of the slave latch. The SLEEPB signal then goes to −0.3V. This shuts off transistor M28 in FIG. 7A, which halts the leakage from all the circuits except in the slave latch circuitry 530. When not in sleep mode, transistor M28 provides a low impedance path to ground.

The slave latch circuitry 530 is coupled to ground through the transistors M29 and M30, respectively depicted in FIGS. 7B and 7C. One purpose of transistor M29 is to provide a low impedance path to ground when not in sleep mode.

One purpose of transistor M30 is to provide a default moderate impedance path to ground when transistor M29 is off or in sleep mode. The leakage in the slave latch circuitry 530, in going through transistor M30, causes node SB to rise. This provides a source bias to the slave NMOS transistors reducing the leakage through them and also reduces the voltage across the slave side to VDD−SB, which further reduces the leakage. Equilibrium is reached where the leakage cannot increase. Basically, the leakage is used to limit itself.

This embodiment uses the gated VDD solution because the voltage across the circuit is reduced to VDD−SB. This embodiment combines this gated VDD with the modulated back gate bias method because of the source bias SB but only for the NMOS transistors. This is accomplished without switching a lower VDD and driving a well. Thus, a simple process can be used. Also, this embodiment advantageously uses the moderate impedance transistor in a way that causes leakage to limit itself by reaching equilibrium.

FIGS. 10 and 11 disclose another embodiment for low leakage, data retention circuitry. In this embodiment, in a sleep state, the circuitries that do not require data retention are coupled to ground through a sleep transistor. The logic coupled to the transistors gated by the SLEEPB signal is shut off and draws minimal leakage. This process is accomplished by driving the SLEEPB signal below VSS by 0.3-0.4V. The HOLDB signal keeps the slave latch circuitry from changing state while the rest of the flip-flop comes out of the sleep state. The only part of the flip-flop still powered is the slave latch circuitry. The slave latch circuitry combines several techniques to minimize leakage.

FIG. 10 depicts circuitry 1000 for low leakage and data retention in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The circuitry 1000 includes the inverter 1002, the master latch circuitry 1010, the slave latch circuitry 1020, the inverter 1032, the inverter 1034, the sleep transistors 1042, 1044, 1046, and 1048, the inverter 1052, and the inverter 1054.

The D input is the input for the inverter 1002. The master latch circuitry 1010 includes the transmission gate 1012, the inverter 1014, the transmission gate 1016, and the inverter 1018. The output of the inverter 1002 is coupled to the left contact of the transmission gate 1012. The right contact of the transmission gate 1012 is coupled to the input of the inverter 1014 and the left contact of the transmission gate 1016. The output of the inverter 1014 is coupled to the D input of the slave latch circuitry 1020 and the input of the inverter 1018. The output of the inverter 1018 is coupled to the DB input of the slave latch circuitry 1020 and the right contact of the transmission gate 1016.

The SLEEPB signal input is coupled to the gates for the SL1 sleep transistor 1042, the SL2 sleep transistor 1044, the SL3 sleep transistor 1046, the SL4 sleep transistor 1048, and the SLEEPB input of the slave latch circuitry 1020. The SL1 sleep transistor 1042 is coupled to the inverter 1002 and ground. The SL2 sleep transistor 1044 is coupled to the inverter 1052, the inverter 1054, and ground. The SL3 sleep transistor 1046 is coupled to the inverter 1014, the inverter 1018, and ground. The SL4 sleep transistor 1048 is coupled to the inverter 1032, the inverter 1034, and ground. In some embodiments, the SL1 sleep transistor 1042, the SL2 sleep transistor 1044, the SL3 sleep transistor 1046, and the SL4 sleep transistor 1048 can each be separated into two or more node each having its own NMOS sleep transistor.

The CK signal is the input of the inverter 1052. The output of the inverter 1052 is coupled to the transmission gate 1012, the transmission gate 1016, and the input of the inverter 1054. The output of the inverter 1054 is coupled to the transmission gate 1012, the transmission gate 1016, and the CLK input of the slave latch circuitry 1020. The HOLDB signal input is coupled to the HOLDB input of the slave latch circuitry 1020. The output of the slave latch circuitry 1020 is coupled to the input of the inverter 1032. The output of the inverter 1032 is coupled to the input of the inverter 1034. The output of the inverter 1034 is the Q signal.

FIG. 11 depicts slave latch circuitry 1020 in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The slave latch circuitry 1020 includes D1 transistor 1102, D2 transistor 1104, DH transistor 1106, DSL sleep transistor 1108, stack transistors 1110, stack transistors 1120, D1B transistor 1132, D2B transistor 1134, DHB transistor 1136, and sleep transistor 1138.

The D1 transistor 1102, the D2 transistor 1104, the DH transistor 1106, and the DSL sleep transistor 1108 are coupled to each other in series with the sleep transistor 1108 coupled to ground. The gate of the D1 transistor 1102 is coupled to the CLK signal input. The gate of the D2 transistor 1104 is coupled to the D signal input. The gate of the DH transistor 1106 is coupled to the HOLDB signal input. The gate of the sleep transistor 1108 is coupled to the SLEEPB signal input.

The stack transistors 1110 comprise P1 transistor 1112, P0 transistor 1114, N1 transistor 1116, and N0 transistor 1118. The P1 transistor 1112, the P0 transistor 1114, the N1 transistor 1116, and the N0 transistor 1118 are coupled to each other in series with the N0 transistor 1118 coupled to ground. The gates of the P1 transistor 1112, the P0 transistor 1114, the N1 transistor 1116, and the N0 transistor 1118 are coupled to the LAT signal input. The drains of the P0B transistor 1124 and the N1B transistor 1126 are coupled to the LAT signal input.

The stack transistors 1120 comprise P1B transistor 1122, P0B transistor 1124, NIB transistor 1126, and N0B transistor 1128. The P1B transistor 1122, the P0B transistor 1124, the NIB transistor 1126, and the N0B transistor 1128 are coupled to each other in series with the N0B transistor 1128 coupled to ground. The gates of the P1B transistor 1122, the P0B transistor 1124, the N1B transistor 1126, and the N0B transistor 1128 are coupled to the LATB signal input. The drains of the P0 transistor 1114 and the N1 transistor 1116 are coupled to the LATB signal input.

In operation, the logic coupled to the transistors gated by the SLEEPB signal is shut off and draws minimal leakage. This process is accomplished by driving the SLEEPB signal below VSS by 0.3-0.4V. The HOLDB signal keeps the slave latch circuitry 1020 from changing state while the rest of the flip-flop comes out of the sleep state. The only part of the flip-flop still powered is the slave latch circuitry 1020. The slave latch circuitry 1020 combines several techniques to minimize leakage. Transistors not necessary for state retention (stacks with CLK) have sleep transistors to shut off leakage (gated by the SLEEPB signal).

The 8 transistors in the stack transistors 1110 and 1120 use two techniques to reduce leakage. The first technique used is transistor stacking, which is also called self-reverse bias. The N0 transistor 1118 and the N1 transistor 1116 will have some small leakage even when the gate is at 0V. As a result, VNN1 will be at a positive voltage. This causes VGS(N1) and VBS(N1) to be negative, and VDS(N1) to decrease. Consequently, the leakage current is reduced in N0 transistor 1118 and the N1 transistor 1116. The same effect occurs on N0B transistor 1128, NIB transistor 1126, P0 transistor 1114, P1 transistor 1112, P0B transistor 1124, and P1B transistor 1122.

The second technique is called multiple threshold transistors. Increasing channel length of MOS transistors increases the threshold of the devices without any change in process complexity. The N0 transistor 1118, the N1 transistor 1116, the N0B transistor 1128, and the N1B transistor 1126 have increased channel length, which raises VTH and reduces leakage current.

This embodiment reduces leakage by a factor of 25 over a current standard cell D flip-flop.

I/O Pad—FIG. 12

In some embodiments, a programmable general purpose input and output (I/O) padcell includes built in-level shifters and isolation that interface with the chip core logic. In these embodiments, a level shifter can be controlled to retain data.

FIG. 12 depicts circuitry 1200 for a level shifter for an I/O pad in an exemplary embodiment of the invention. The circuitry 1200 includes MP2 transistor 1202, MP3 transistor 1204, M3 transistor 1206, M4 transistor 1208, M1 transistor 1210, M0 transistor 1212, M5 transistor 1214, M2 transistor 1216, and an inverter 1218.

The circuitry 1200 is for a latching level shifter. The M3 transistor 1206 and the M4 transistor 1208 are “native” cascode devices. The M3 transistor 1206 and the M4 transistor 1208 are also known as depletion-mode transistors. The M3 transistor 1206 and the M4 transistor 1208 are used to allow thin gate devices to be used in the input stage. This allows large voltage ratios between the VDD and the V3IO. The M0 transistor 1212 and the M1 transistor 1210 are output latching devices that allow the level shifter to retain the state when both IN and INB are 0. Thus, IN and INB control data retention.

In some embodiments, the gates of the M3 transistor 1206 and the M4 transistor 1208 are coupled to other transistors connected to the cascode voltage.

The following truth table is for circuitry 1200.

IN INB OUT 0 0 Retain last state 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 Illegal

There will be setup time requirements for any signal compared to SLPB. If level shifters are used with an SRAM cell built into the output stage, the two inputs can be removed anytime after the output latch has flipped to a new state. Both 1.2V inputs to the level shifter cannot go to VDD. This can be prevented by including an inverter. If both the inverter and the level shifter have SLPB transistors, there is a potential timing race if SLPB goes to VSS with VDD high. In this case, the level shifters should be off before the output of the inverter drifts to VDD. In some embodiments, the M5 transistor 1214 and the M2 transistor 1216 can be configured to withstand greater voltages.

In some embodiments, the sources of the M5 transistor 1214 and the M2 transistor 1216 can be coupled to a common SLEEPB transistor 1240 to further reduce leakage. In one embodiment, the width of the SLEEPB transistor 1240 is 4 micrometers, and the length is 0.13 micrometers. The following truth table is for circuitry 1200 including this common SLEEPB transistor 1240:

SLEEPB IN INB OUT 1 0 0 Retain state (Data Retention) 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 Illegal 0 X X Retain State

In some embodiments, the SLEEPB=0 input state should be understood to include the SLEEPB voltage being below 0V (E.g. −0.35V generated by a leakage optimization circuit).

In this extension to FIG. 12 (and the above truth table), the two Data Retention states may be operated independently, sequentially or simultaneously. This is beneficial when the SLEEPB input is used to control/limit leakage power while the IN/INB=00 state is used for data retention. This is because the SLEEPB voltage comes from a charge pump and takes some time to transition from Vdd (=1) to the Data Retention mode.

The above description is illustrative and not restrictive. Many variations of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this disclosure. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims. 

1. An integrated circuit comprising: terminals including a common ground terminal and first and second power supply terminals; a level shifter for translating binary data from voltage levels defined by said first power supply terminal and said common ground terminal, to voltage levels defined by said second power supply terminal and said common ground terminal, said level shifter having a sleep transistor and input transistors, said sleep transistor in series with an electrical connection to said common ground terminal, and said input transistors driven by inputs at voltage levels defined by said first power supply terminal and said common ground terminal; and power management circuitry which controls power consumed by said level shifter using said sleep transistor.
 2. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second power supply terminal provides a higher voltage than said first power supply terminal.
 3. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said level shifter is built into an input/output pad cell configured to interface with chip core logic.
 4. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said sleep transistor enables a power down mode.
 5. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 4 wherein said sleep transistor is an n-channel transistor connected to said common ground terminal.
 6. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 5 wherein said power management circuit applies a voltage from said first power supply terminal to said sleep transistor when not in said power down mode.
 7. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 5 wherein said power management circuit applies a voltage lower than a voltage level of said common ground terminal to said sleep transistor in said power down mode.
 8. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 5 wherein said power management circuit applies a voltage greater than a voltage level of said first power supply terminal to said sleep transistor when not in said power down mode.
 9. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 4 wherein said level shifter retains data in said power down mode.
 10. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said level shifter latches level shifted data.
 11. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said level shifter input transistors are thin gate transistors.
 12. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 1 wherein said level shifter comprises cross-coupled cascode devices and cross-coupled output latching devices.
 13. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 12 wherein said input transistors are thin gate transistors and said cross-coupled output latching devices comprise thick gate transistors.
 14. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 12 further comprising a static random access memory (SRAM) cell built into an output stage of said level shifter.
 15. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 14 further comprising an inverter to prevent inputs of said level shifter from reaching a voltage of said first power supply terminal at the same time.
 16. The integrated circuit as claimed in claim 14 wherein said input transistors are configured to withstand voltages higher than that of said first power supply terminal.
 17. A method for operating an integrated circuit, the method comprising: providing first and second power supply terminals; translating binary data with a level shifter from voltage levels defined by said first power supply terminal and a common ground terminal to voltage levels defined by said second power supply and said common ground terminal; driving level shifter input transistors with voltage levels defined by said first power supply terminal and said common ground terminal; and controlling power consumed by said level shifter with a sleep transistor.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein said second power supply terminal provides a higher voltage than said first power supply terminal.
 19. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising preventing inputs of said level shifter from reaching the voltage level of said first power supply terminal at the same time.
 20. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising latching level shifted data.
 21. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein controlling power consumed by said level shifter includes enabling a power down mode.
 22. The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising applying voltage from said first power supply terminal to said sleep transistor when not in said power down mode.
 23. The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising applying a voltage lower than that of said common ground terminal to said sleep transistor in said power down mode.
 24. The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising applying a voltage greater than the voltage level of said first power supply terminal to said sleep transistor when not in said power down mode.
 25. The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising retaining data with said level shifter in said power down mode. 